Global deceleration of gene evolution following recent genome hybridizations in fungi

Polyploidization events such as whole-genome duplication and inter-species hybridization are major evolutionary forces that shape genomes. Although long-term effects of polyploidization have been well-characterized, early molecular evolutionary consequences of polyploidization remain largely unexplored. Here, we report the discovery of two recent and independent genome hybridizations within a single clade of a fungal genus, Trichosporon. Comparative genomic analyses revealed that redundant genes are experiencing decelerations, not accelerations, of evolutionary rates. We identified a relationship between gene conversion and decelerated evolution suggesting that gene conversion may improve the genome stability of young hybrids by restricting gene functional divergences. Furthermore, we detected large-scale gene losses from transcriptional and translational machineries that indicate a global compensatory mechanism against increased gene dosages. Overall, our findings illustrate counteracting mechanisms during an early phase of post-genome hybridization and fill a critical gap in existing theories on genome evolution.